Rome vs. The United States: How much has changed?

The Roman RepublicIn many ways, the Roman Republic was very similar to the way the United States government is organized today. There are three clear divisions of power, as you will see below.

Executive branch Consuls: Elected by an assembly, they ruled as chief executives for one year. Consuls controlled the military as well. Legislative branch:

Legislative branchSenate: 300 people ruled as Senate. They were chosen by aristocrats and they reigned over foreign affairs and financial policies. Centuriate assembly: A group of citizen soldiers that are members for life. They elect consuls an make laws. Tribal assembly: Citizens are put into groups depending on where they live they are also members for life. Tribal assembly members elect tribunes.

Judicial branchPraetors: Eight judges were chosen by the Centuriate assembly to judge for a year. Two of the eight judges supervise civil court and criminal court.

Legal codeThe Twelve Tables was similar to the Bill of Rights (the first ten amendments of the Constitution), however, it only protected the free-born male citizens under the law.

CitizenshipGiven to adult man landowners.

One major differenceDictators: When catastrophe struck, the Republic could appoint a dictator, however a dictator's power only lasted 6 months. They were appointed by the Consuls and then elected by the Senates.

The American RepublicThe Founding Fathers of The United States borrowed some of the elements of government from Rome, yet developed and added quite a few innovations. Unlike Rome, checks and balances came from the workings of three areas of government: a President, who was responsible for the jobs of Commander in Chief of the military, could appoint ambassadors to conduct foreign policy, and could propose laws to the Legislative Branch; the Legislative Branch is bicameral, including both a Senate, whose members are elected for six year terms, and a House of Representatives, whose members are elected for two year terms. Both houses need to agree on a law before it is sent to the President for signature. Finally, they created an independent Judiciary known as the Supreme Court whose job it was to ensure that laws passed by the Legislature were consistent with the U.S. Constitution.

Which is better?The Roman government, though advanced for its time, was prone to corruption and instability. The Senate would usually have more power over the Executive branch and there was very little independence among the branches of government, which tended to be heavily influenced by dominant political faction. The United States distributes its power relatively evenly. Because each state has both local representatives, and representatives in Washington, it helps promote the interests of the people in way that Romans did not. The American Republic is a lot more evolved and refined then the Romans' version.

Do you have a question about something you see on this site? Feel free to contact us for more information.